Few have the courage like you, says Priyanka on Rahul’s resignation

Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday, July 4, tweeted her admiration for Rahul Gandhi, a day after he reaffirmed his decision to step down as party president by tweeting out a farewell note to party workers and supporters.

“Few have the courage that you do Rahul Gandhi. Deepest respect for your decision,” wrote Priyanka who was appointed Congress General Secretary days before the Lok Sabha elections.

The 49-year-old Congress president went public with the letter on Wednesday after party colleagues refused to accept the resignation he offered at the May 25 meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making committee, after its general election defeat.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex that he had already resigned and the CWC should find a replacement for him soon.

“I am no longer the Congress president. I have already resigned. The CWC should convene a meeting immediately and decide on the new Congress president,” he said, when asked about the future course of the party.

In his letter, Rahul Gandhi had said: "It is a habit in India that the powerful cling to power, no one sacrifices power. But we will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle."

Calling for "radical transformation" in the Congress, he added: "Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019. It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as president of the party."

His words indicated he was determined to relinquish his family's hold on the Congress, which has been mostly headed by generations of leaders from the Nehru-Gandhi family in its 133-year-old history. "Most of my colleagues suggested that I nominate the next Congress president. While it is important for someone new to lead the party, it would not be correct for me to select that person," wrote Rahul Gandhi.